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Things have been quiet around here lately, but it’s been a busy couple of months in the construction tech space. Before we get back into the swing of things this fall, here’s a roundup post with our analysis of some companies, deals, and stories that caught our eye over the summer.

The global civil engineering and infrastructure giant AECOM recently announced that it has signed an MOU with Mushroom VR, a subsidiary of Super 78, the theme park entertainment design and multimedia studio. The companies will jointly develop a collaborative virtual reality platform that intends to transform the theme park visualization and design processes. They hope their partnership will catalyze innovation in their creative processes and enhance the quality and effectiveness of theme park project planning, which can be quite complex.

The construction software startup Grit Virtual is using virtual reality models that are crowdsourced from labor in the project trenches to better plan construction schedules and prioritize labor workflows in the field.

A recent article in the UK’s Construction News publication (also picked up nationally here in the US by Bisnow) suggests that Amazon is “reinventing” the construction and real estate development markets thanks to its incredible growth, both in the US and abroad. But what, specifically, does that mean? And should construction industry stakeholders feel “emboldened” or “threatened” by Amazon’s disruptive tactics? Could the company vertically integrate into a development, design, and construction operation that serves third-party clients? We tackle all of these questions in this article here at AEC Labs.

The Smart Dubai Office has announced winners of its second annual Blockchain Challenge, who will now have the chance to partner with government stakeholders in Dubai to try and develop their ideas and technologies further. Selected from 200 applications submitted by startups in 44 countries and 85 cities, the purpose of the challenge was to find “the most promising blockchain solutions from the private sector that can assist in the implementation of the Dubai Blockchain Strategy,” which is to make Dubai the world’s first blockchain-powered city within the next two years.